Martin Cadirola is the President of Ecotronics Ventures LLC, a pioneering hard and software systems engineering company based in New Market, Maryland. Ecotronics specializes in telecommunications, weather research, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) industries (also known as drones). With numerous contract awards under its belt, including providing drone surveillance services and Lidar support for esteemed clients like NASA and Howard University, Ecotronics Ventures exemplifies innovation and excellence in its field. As a boy, Martin aspired to be an astronaut and is now helping the planet one drone at a time. He continues to work on his contracting goals with his counselor, Richard Paden.

"There is no cookie-cutter solution in government contracting, it has to be customized. Working with an APEX Accelerator counselor will speed up the process and inspire you to keep going."

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Listen to his story below 

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Thomas Chon is the CEO of Tetra Fields, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business in Rockville, Maryland that specializes in IT and management consulting.

 

In 2020,  Thomas was looking to win his first government contract and sought guidance from the PTAC on how to present his firm's core capabilities to obtain new contract awards.

 

With his PTAC counselor's assistance, Thomas teamed with a large prime contractor, and they won an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract with the Veterans Affair’s Accelerating VA Innovation and Learning (AVAIL) as part of Team Leidos, a $650M Multiple-award IDIQ. 

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In 2021 PTAC client, Lakeysha Claxton, CEO of Homeland Custodial Services,  was awarded a government contract to provide janitorial services to the Navy in Okinawa, Japan.  Lakeysha has won several large contracts over the years and has been a Maryland PTAC client since 2014 where she works with her counselor, Richard Paden on her contracting goals.

 

Listen to her podcast interview below to learn how Lakeysha went from being a bus driver to winning multi-million dollar government contracts. We discuss her career challenges and successes, plus why she advises small business owners to seek help from the PTAC. 

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Raffi Bilek, LCSW-C,  social worker and CEO of the Baltimore Therapy Center (BTC). has been a client with the Maryland PTAC since 2020. He is counseled by procurement specialist, Ms. Arthenia LeFlore, and won his first government contract in 2020 offering therapeutic services to domestic violence offenders in Montgomery county.

 

Raffi is new to government contracting and said the PTAC gave him a lifeline when he really needed it.

 

"It was really reassuring to have someone with experience at the PTAC to guide me. Arthenia knew the ropes and could point me in the right direction which was good because I was floundering on my own."

 

 Listen to his success story below.

 

 

 

Maryland PTAC client of the month - Jerome Taylor, CEO of Digital Forensic Services, LLC a veteran-owned cyber-risk analysis and management firm was included on 2019, 2020, and 2021 Inc. 5000 List.

 

Jerome credits the PTAC for helping him get started as a government contractor.

 

“Thanks for assisting us with our first 8(a) contract and special thanks to PTAC for supporting veterans. Yesterday, Syracuse University's Entrepreneur Bootcamp for Veterans recognized me as the 2016 Richard L. Haydon Outstanding Veteran Entrepreneur of the Year. This accomplishment could not have been possible without you and PTAC. Please share this email with leadership, you and PTAC deserve the recognition. Once again, thanks for your support!”

 

Listen below to hear Jerome explain how he achieved exponential growth in just a few years and how the PTAC helped him achieve success. 

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SYM Inc. is another Maryland PTAC client that has experienced success due to the counseling support provided by Maryland PTAC. SYM Inc is a veteran, HUB Zone small business located in Baltimore, Maryland. They provide temporary and permanent staffing for nursing services and have been a Maryland PTAC client since March of 2008.

 

SYM Inc has had several one on one counseling sessions and attended our Federal Contracting 101 workshop.  They directly attribute the assistance provided to them by PTAC with helping them to be awarded their Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) for Professional & Allied Healthcare Staffing Services. SYM Inc has been able to use PTAC to help them get on the Social Security’s Employment Network Contracts which allows them to participate in the Ticket to Work Employment Network.

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Drs. Celeste and Todd Chamberlain are the President and
CEO of Information Protection Solutions (IPS)  IPS was established in 2014 and is a service-disabled veteran-owned business specializing in Cyber Security. They started with just one full-time employee and have since grown to a team of over 25 dedicated professionals managing multiple contracts. This impressive expansion is a testament to the unwavering commitment and leadership of Celeste and Todd. 

This dynamic duo joined the Maryland APEX Accelerator in 2022 and worked with their counselor, Tara Scott, to develop a winning strategy. In 2023 they won a contract award for $51 million over 10 years. with the U.S. Department of Justice.

"I thought RFI's were a waste of time... If we had not responded to THIS particular RFI, we would not have gotten the invitation to respond to the RFP. Those RFI's will get you in the door"

 

Listen to their story below 

Eno Nzesi is the CEO of Numa Management Associates, a woman-owned management consulting firm with thirty-plus years of customer-facing experience. Eno is skilled in Contact Centers, Management, Project Portfolio Management, and Process Documentation in a cross-section of industries both domestically and offshore. 

 

In 2022,  Numa Management Associates was one of 20 companies awarded the New York State-Wide Administration Services Contract -$100 Million, 5-year IDIQ Contract - estimated revenue per company - $20M per year. She works with her counselor on government contracting goals. 
 

 

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Dottie Li, Founder, and CEO of TransPacific Communications is a long-time PTAC client.

 

Dottie has been recognized as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by the Daily Record. This is Dottie’s second time receiving this honor, becoming the first Chinese American woman to be so acknowledged in 2015.

 

Listen to her podcast interview below to learn how she won a $4 million contract from the FDA and is using her success to inspire other woman and immigrant-owned businesses. 

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"Be patient and persistent in your work to achieve success"

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John Graham is the Managing Director of Sullivan Cove Consultants LLC  - a multi-disciplinary professional services firm practicing in the federal and commercial sectors in Severna Park, Maryland.

John has been a Maryland PTAC client since 2003 and has been successful in winning many large federal contracts with the largest dollar-value contract award from the Department of Justice of $617 million. As a Disabled Veteran and Minority firm, Sullivan Cove Consultants has grown substantially over the years and employs 150 people across the country.

 

John believes the rule that '50% of new business comes from people that you have been with for the last 48 hours.'

 

He credits the Maryland PTAC with helping his firm achieve government contracting success.

Technologies Engineering Associates LLC received their SBA HUB Zone Certification with the help of the PTAC. TEI is an information technology contractor whose clients include the Defense Information Systems Agency’s Defense Spectrum Organization (DSO) and Aberdeen Proving Ground’s Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC).

 

Whilst discussing marketing strategies to expand the company’s presence in the Federal Government, PTAC suggested that TEI consider obtaining an SBA HUBZone Certification as the program has a unique sole-source feature that can be used by any federal agency.

 

In addition to familiarizing TEI with the HUBZone’s unique features and benefits, their counselor supported them throughout the application process and helped them follow up on their progress as their application proceeded, and was delighted when TEI finally received their HUBZone certification.

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William and Dawn Mooney of Enterprise Technology Management were having trouble submitting their WOSB certification application. They were very dissatisfied with the SBA certification process and the fact that they couldn't get a live person on the phone to assist them.

 

Their PTAC counselor was able to provide a direct link to their SBA local district office and they successfully submitted their application. 

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"Thank you so much for everything.  Your assistance was tremendous."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Keith & AnJanette Garner are the CEOs of BFG Enterprises LLC – a woman-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned small business in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. BFG Enterprises is a reputable consulting firm that specializes in Data Management and Identity services.

 

They have won numerous contract awards over the years including a Five Year - Single Award IDIQ Contract for $27 million with U.S. Army Garrison Fort Knox.

 

Keith and his wife, AnJanette work with their PTAC counselor on their government contracting goals.

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"Develop a mentoring relationship with your PTAC counselor, their knowledge and resources extend far greater than you would imagine."

 

Listen to their story below 

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Tejash Patel, is the Founder and (CEO) of TAYS, an IT systems services company in Baltimore, Maryland. He has over 18 years of IT experience including leading large projects in the public and private sectors. TAYS was recently awarded an $8 million Task Order as a sub-contractor for the Social Security Administration.  He works with his PTAC counselor, Richard Paden, on his government contracting goals. 

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"My counselor has been amazing, I was just amazed by the wealth of knowledge that Richard has, and I am very thankful for the support he has provided."

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Listen to Tejash's story below

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Baltimore-based business, Matos  Builders, began with high hopes of winning millions of dollars of work in their first year, but reality set in as that first September came and went with no success at all.

 

During this very trying time, MDPTAC counselor, Arthenia LeFlore, exceeded expectations as she acted as a motivational coach in conjunction with her role as an educator. Her positive attitude and encouragement were a critical influence on the morale of the partners at Matos.

 

One year later they were awarded a $4 million sole source IDIA to renovate laboratories at Army Research Labs as well as a $98,000 job to repair a roof for GSA. Matos credits Arthenia for significantly contributing to their success.
 

Silvia Perez, CEO of Rathel Enterprises, is a multi-service provider who was recently awarded a $300k contract to provide medical equipment to the VA. Silvia has been a Maryland PTAC client since 2018 and works with her counselor, Richard Paden on her contracting goals. 

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"My PTAC counselor, Richard Paden, has been wonderful… he really encouraged me and has been my champion and guardian angel. He helps me to hone in and focus on what I need to do to keep my business growing."

 

Silvia plans to grow her contracting business in the medical supplies arena.

 

Listen to her story below

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Immersive Concepts, LLC is an Information Technology firm that has experienced exponential growth with record earnings over the last decade.  To further inspire growth, Immersive Concepts, decided to pursue the GSA IT 70 Schedule and sought help from the PTAC.

 

Our PTAC Counselor reviewed their documents for accuracy and was instrumental in helping the client to achieve important milestones and accomplishments by providing concentrated support in the following areas: Review of client GSA Schedule application pricing model, financial document suitability, labor rate selections, and review of requisite educational requirements for selected labor categories.

 

Following the Maryland PTAC counselor review and comments, the client incorporated said changes and submitted their application for GSA review. The client received notice of award and attributes their success to the services rendered by the Maryland PTAC counselor.